Beginning this weekend, Rave Motion Pictures' Lee Branch theater will bring a series of opera broadcasts to Birmingham.

The series, which continues through May 15, begins with the San Francisco Opera's production of Puccini's "La Rondine." Showtimes are 12:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

"Rave has tried a few of these (in other markets) and has been pleased with the results," Jeremy Devine, Rave's vice president of marketing, says.

"First of all, the people who see it think it's a wonderful presentation and clearly it's better than trying to watch opera at home. Here, you've got digital sound, digital projection and a 50-foot screen."

The series will include productions not only from the San Francisco Opera but La Scala in Milan, Italy.